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Gnasher Shotgun
The Gnasher Shotgun is a lever-action, short-barreled combat shotgun that is commonly deployed by the Coalition of Ordered Governments' Gears. It is comparatively small and easy to aim, making it exceptionally useful for close encounters. It possesses both phenomenal firepower and momentous Stopping Power, making it ideal for persuading enemies to keep their distance. Its lever-action design is intended to keep the weapon's size and weight down while making it easier to reload after shooting. As a Shotgun, the Gnasher fires rounds loaded with buckshot - this results in a spray of ammunition over a cone-shaped trajectory. Because of this, the Gnasher is not particularly difficult to aim and is devastating at a range of 2 to 4 meters - often taking down man-sized targets in one single blast. At slightly longer ranges, it is still formidable, but not nearly as destructive. At longer ranges, the weapon's wide scatter pattern makes it rather ineffective. Though designed and built by the COG, the Locust Horde has shown a particular liking for the Gnasher, and is well-known for salvaging and using it. Locust Grenadiers make extensive use of the weapon, as do Grenadier Elites. Some Drones make use of the shotgun as well. Tactical Use The Gnasher is, simply put, one of the least-forgiving weapons in Gears of War. It can be either shatteringly powerful or borderline-useless depending on how and where you use it, and actually making the most of it requires a fair amount of practice. Many newer players (and indeed, many veterans as well) eschew the Gnasher, ignoring it outright or ditching it for some other firearm as soon as possible - in spite of the fact that it's one of the stronger pieces of your starting equipment. The Gnasher is, however, a deadly weapon when used correctly. It is capable of instantly dispatching of many foes at close range (even on Execution), and its wide scatter pattern means that at close range, even a less-than-ideal shot causes massive damage and can stop an enemy dead in their tracks. A timely Perfect Reload can make it even better, making even slightly mis-aimed shots absolutely lethal (and making it capable of dropping a Drone on Insane in one shot). Close-range shots from the Gnasher will also splatter the hapless target's screen with blood, somewhat blinding them and making a follow-up shot all the more deadly. The Gnasher is considerably easier to use in a close-combat fight than the Lancer's Chainsaw Bayonet, as any significant damage taken will stop one from using the chainsaw. This advantage is further accentuated by the Gnasher having fairly high melee damage, and by the fact that in order to maximize the Gnasher's damage, one has to fire from close range - and melee range is all-but-perfect for this purpose. At slightly longer ranges, the Gnasher remains useful - it loses the devastating close-range punch it's known for at ranges of over 8 meters, but the wide spread means you have a good shot at damaging more evasive targets - and while the Lancer and Hammerburst are both considerably better out to medium range, the Gnasher can be infinitely easier to actually hit targets with. Make a note however that the Gnasher isn't particularly good at this range; it's merely tolerable. At longer ranges, the Gnasher is, admittedly, all but useful. It needs to be used in close-combat to get the most out of it, and practice is needed to get the feel for its unique spread-shot pattern. It excels in tight terrain - so it works very well in urban environments and tunnel fights. In single-player, it is incredibly effective against Wretches, as well as Sires and other enemies that need to get close, such as Tickers (which are one-shotted regardless of range). Naturally, it also does well against other players in multiplayer, provided you stay close. The Gnasher's ammo capacity is rather limited - this will force you to reload often. However, if you are taking cover behind a small barrier, and an enemy is on the other side or is attempting to vault over it, it is very effective to blind fire above your cover with the shotgun, as this will almost always succeed in causing heavy damage if not dealing with the foe entirely. Note that the Gnasher maintains, more-or-less, the same accuracy when fired from the hip as it does when aimed, meaning it's one of the most effective weapons in the game for firing on the move. A general rule of thumb is to aim slightly above your shoulder while blind firing, or to use the Crimson Omen damage marker as makeshift crosshairs. Many players are extremely aggressive with the Gnasher. In the original Gears of War, the Gnasher was one of the overall best weapons period for aggressive tactics, but this changed in Gears of War 2 with the advent of weapons having Stopping Power. Now, it is used far more solidly as a close-combat-only weapon - but this has not changed the aggressive nature of many veterans. Gnasher specialists work at getting close ASAP - especially from unexpected angles - and dealing a finishing blow with one blast of buckshot. There's a lot of reasons to use this tactic, but the fundamental reason is that the Shotgun is capable of one-shot kills (via a headshot or blowing the target apart at close-range). Many Shotgun veterans pride themselves on engaging rival Shotgun veterans in Shotgun Duels, but this practice has dramatically decreased courtesy of the Gnasher's myriad changes from the original Gears of War. Controversy Related to Online Play The Gnasher was - and to a degree, still is - the focus of quite a lot of player community controversy, many feel it was highly overpowered in Gears 1 and that the aforementioned shotgun duels which became in many ways the focus of the game's multiplayer mode were not in line with how the game was intended by its creators to be played - a view that Cliffy B has openly stated to hold himself. In terms of Chainsaw vs Shotgun, the shotgun-wielding player would almost always emerge victorious in the first Gears of War. However, Chainsaw-wielders have a much larger chance of killing a shotgun wielder at close range in Gears 2. Unlike Gears 1, a chainsaw-revving player will not be stunned from a shotgun blast, and players aiming with the shotgun move slower than chainsaw-revvers. This means that the shotgun wielder must have very good timing with his shotgun blast to kill the chainsaw revver in one shot, or otherwise, unless he rolls away, he will be chainsawed before he can fire again. The Stopping Power mechanic was most specifically introduced to discourage ridiculous tactics like charging on through oncoming fire, and the Gnasher itself has received a noticeable balancing between Gears 1 and Gears 2 to restrict it to being a close-combat support tool. Many have expressed displeasure with such and claim that decreasing the Gnasher's effectiveness has "dumbed down" online play while other players feel that these changes have been totally beneficial to gameplay balance, weapon use, and fun factor, especially when added to other new options players have for close-combat weaponry, like the Scorcher and Gorgon Pistol. Trivia *The Gnasher Shotgun is included in the new Carmine action figure, as stated in Comic-Con '08. *The Gnasher got a slight balacing in Gears of War 2; its rounds fly slower and the advent of Stopping Power has affected the way the shotgun is used when compared with Gears of War 1. *Was used by Tai Kaliso to commit suicide after he became insane from torture. *It is also Tai's preferred weapon. *Victor Hoffman, Augustus Cole, and Dominic Santiago all make use of it as well. *Unless you play as host or local matches, blood will not splatter on your screen from Shotgun blasts like it does in the campaign mode. *In terms of Chainsaw vs Shotgun, the shotgun-wielding player would almost always emerge victorious in the first Gears of War. However, Chainsaw-wielders have a much larger chance of killing a shotgun wielder at close range in Gears 2. Unlike Gears 1, a chainsaw-revving player will not be stunned from a shotgun blast, and players aiming with the shotgun move slower than chainsaw-revvers. This means that the shotgun wielder must have very good timing with his shotgun blast to kill the chainsaw revver in one shot, or otherwise, unless he rolls away, he will be chainsawed before he can fire again. *The Gnasher has its own finishing move, achieved by using the "quick execution" (with the "B" button). The player performs a quick, golfclub-like swing into the downed player's head, finishing them off with a harsh strike to the skull. *The Gnasher is extremely useful for dealing with flamethrower-wielding enemies. Its spray shot can easily puncture their fueltanks. *In the battle with Skorge, be sure use your Lancer more than the Gnasher. But if you want to kill tickers easier, remember to change the Gnasher to Lancer after Skorge cut down a pillar or he will chainsaw-duel with you, cuts your Gnasher and kicks you, stunning you and cut through you. Gnasher Shotgun